Elevation	3,332 m (10,932 ft); Prominence: 2,830 m
Province	Jawa Timur (East Java)
Ribu Category	Sangat Tinggi
Links	Wikipedia English ; Wikipedia Indonesia

Photos

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Bagging It!

Route to summit

Gunung Raung has the largest crater (2km diameter) in Java. Reaching Puncak Sejati, the highest point of Gunung Raung, is difficult – although there have been several successful attempts recently, approaching the mountain from the south. It is Java’s most challenging peak by far, and rock climbing/scrambling skills are needed, although just reaching the crater rim is fairly straighforward. Below is some information from a Java Lava forum regarding how best to tackle the tricky top itself:

“The first route, employed by OEC Surabaya, is thru Kalibaru Village. This route is considered more difficult than Glenmore route (see below). After the vegetation border, climber should reached Wates Peak first, go down, traversing 50 meter / 164 foot cliff wall, and then semi-scrambling on loose-rock slope to reach the summit. Most of the routes after the vegetation border is about 40-70 degree slopes on the loose-rock ground. Water is also difficult to find on this route, so it must be prepared and carried along from the base. The whole route from Kalibaru to the summit is said to be 17.6 Km /10.9 miles long.

Glenmore Village is starting point for the second route and was done by reaching the Glenmore Peak (3227 meters /10587 feet) first which is situated on the east of the main summit. When OEC-UI made their route, they did it by traversing the crater rim from the Glenmore Peak to the main summit which is located in the west of it. Horizontal length between the two peaks is less than 1 Km/ 0.621 mile, but it was said to take whole day to accomplish and most of it was done by crawling. The terrifying factors here is the vertical drop down to the crater 500 meters / 1,640 feet below on the right side and the 40-70 degrees slippery sand-loose-rock slope on the left side. But according to the hikers, this route is easier compared to Kalibaru route, as it is easier to find water along the way.

It is also encouraged to bring along climbing gear as the characterisitic of the southern side is exactly the same as the northern side i.e. sand and loose rock. Rope 50 meters / 164 feet, harness, figure eight, long pegs, (ice) axe were among the essential gear to have.”

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Route to caldera at 3,180m (the ‘regular hike’ – which does not lead to the true summit – by Mauricio Claudio)

Several internet entries list gunung Raung as the most enjoyable volcano climb in Java, no doubt due to stunning views of its caldera and crater. Raung’s caldera and the crater are awesome, on par, albeit on a smaller scale, to the views at Bromo and Rinjani.

My GPS came in handy in finding my way to the top. Access to the trailhead is from the north, requiring a climb due southeast. From Bondowoso take the road heading to Situbondo via Wonosari. A right turn at the intersection at (S7 52.584 E113 54.648) leads to Sukasari. At Sukasari a sign points straight ahead to desa Sumberwringin. Keep going on the paved road past Sumberwringin till you come to a fork in road marked by a big antenna tower. Follow the road to the right which quickly degenerates into a stone track. That stone track will bring you eventually to another fork. This time take the road on the left side. The road will then degenerate into a dirt track, with some soft and steep patches in a pine-tree forest. At (S8 02.388 E114 01.282) the road ends, and the trail begins. You can park your vehicle here.

You can probably find public transport till Sumberwringin. Thereafter you’ll have to hire an ojek. Due to the poor road surface and the distance to the trailhead, I reckon they’ll ask no less than Rp50,000, likely more. For cars, clearance and higher profile tires are more of a necessity than 4WD. Those soft patches of dirt in the pine-forest will stump weak-engined or low-clearance vehicles.

Despite internet reports, it is not necessary to hire a guide. The trail is clearly visible, the only challenge being that the vegetation is over-grown in many places. Judging from the thick brush, relative absence of garbage and the fact that I saw not one soul in two days, I’d say very few people climb Raung every year. In some places, the trail forks and you’ll have to use your intuition. Keep in mind that you need to head southeast. When in doubt, take the fork that keeps climbing. There is one instance, however, where this will lead you down the wrong trail. That spot is at (S8 03.163 E114 01.925). Here you will wish to take the right fork even though the trail descends (momentarily). The trail slope is pretty mild till at about 1,800 masl where, from the trailhead, you will climb about 550 meters over 5.5km. Thereafter till the peak, you will climb roughly 1,400 meters over 4.5km.

There are several campgrounds along the trail. By campground, I mean places where the trail widens and levels to allow pitching a tent. By far the nicest of the campgrounds, the one where I recommend that you set up base camp is Campground IV at 2,347 masl, roughly five and half hours from the trailhead. At 2,949 masl you are finally above the vegetation line. There’s a grave a few meters beyond, presumably of someone who perished on the mountain. Exposure and hypothermia are a real risk so do come prepared. Once you are out of the vegetation, there is nothing to shield you from the wind. I wore a baclava, gloves and a fleece vest beyond the vegetation line even though there was no a cloud in the sky and the sun was beating on me. The peak–the top lip of the caldera, really—is still one hour ahead along exposed, weathered rock. Except for patches of scree, the going is good due to good traction and footholds. On the other hand, by then you will have started to feel the increasingly thin air. Not a big deal, but it’s there nevertheless. All told, reaching the top will take about seven and a half hours of climbing at a quick pace.